The present invention relates to an apparatus and method, and more particularly relates to an apparatus and method for recycling used petroleum products.
The problem of recycling used petroleum products and in particular, used oil such as used in automotive vehicles, is one which has long existed and has been addressed by the industry. For the most part, a substantial of vehicle owners take their vehicle to a centre or depot is equipped for collecting the used oil and recycling the same.
However, a far larger problem exists for the do-it-yourself vehicle owner who will purchase the new oil and drain the old oil from the vehicle. For a long period of time, many such do-it-yourselfers merely allowed the oil to drain to the ground. However, through increased publicity and education, the do-it-yourselfer has been persuaded to recycle this oil. Generally, the do-it-yourselfer will place the oil in the containers for the new oil and will take it to an authorized disposal.
In many jurisdictions, it has been ruled that any outlet selling new oil must provide for disposal of the used oilxe2x80x94i.e. the vehicle owner is free to bring the used oil back to the retail outlet. This represents a substantial nuisance for the retail outlet since they must then open each one of the containers and drain the oil into a central receptacle. This can consume a substantial amount of employee time.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus to receive containers of used oil and which apparatus is designed to remove the oil therefrom.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method for the removal and recycling of oil from containers of the same.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recycling apparatus suitable for use with containers of used petroleum products, the apparatus comprising a housing, a perforated shelf within the housing, the perforated shelf having apertures therein, an assembly movable between upper and lower positions, the assembly having a plurality of piercing members formed on an underside thereof, drive means for moving the assembly between the first and second positions, and liquid receiving means below the perforated shelf.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of recovering used oil from a plurality of containers of the same, the method comprising the steps of providing a recycling apparatus having a housing, a perforated shelf within the housing, an assembly movable between upper and lower positions situated above the perforated shelf, the movable assembly having a plurality of piercing members formed on an underside thereof, providing an access opening to the perforated shelf whereby the consumer may place containers of used oil thereon, operating the movable assembly to pierce the containers, recovering the used oil from beneath the perforated shelf and transferring the used oil to a shipping container, and removing the plastic containers for recycling.
According to one aspect of the invention, the apparatus is designed to recover both the oil and the containers and to recycle both of the same. While the apparatus is particularly suitable for plastic containers, it can also be used for containers of other materialxe2x80x94i.e. the metallic cans.
As aforementioned, the device comprises a plurality of piercing members which are designed to descend upon the containers which are placed on a screen or mesh. Any suitable type of screen in material may be used with the mesh size being sufficient to permit the passage of oil therethrough while retaining any smaller pieces of plastic thereon.
In a preferred embodiment, there are provided means for preventing any of the containers from remaining on the piercing members after the containers have been impaled and when the piercing members are withdrawn. Conveniently, this structure may comprise a movable screen which is movable between a first position outside the end of the piercing members and a second position adjacent to the base of the piercing members.
Drive means for moving the assembly may comprise any suitable and in the preferred embodiment, hydraulic drive means are utilized.
Suitable control circuitry may be provided as is well known in the art. Thus, such circuitry may include safety locks and the like to prevent the device from being operated when doors are open or the like.